Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Silvey (The Plant Hunters) adeptly chronicles the life of Goodall from her childhood fascination with animal behavior to her groundbreaking field research of chimpanzees in Africa and her work to preserve endangered animals' habitats. Goodall's brief foreword offers a persuasive call-to-action for readers to do their part to save the natural world, and Silvey's clear, engaging narrative moves briskly through Goodall's career. The book's photographs, many provided by National Geographic and the Jane Goodall Institute, include shots of Goodall's face-to-face interactions with chimps, underscoring the animals' intelligence and compassion, as well as the beauty of their homeland. Encouraged by paleontologist Louis Leakey, Goodall made scientific breakthroughs regarding the similarities between chimpanzees and humans. Text and photos also highlight Goodall's extreme patience while observing and working with animals, and her tangible bond with and advocacy for them: "Chimp by chimp, Jane became involved in rescue missions around the world, always maintaining that 'every individual matters.' " Incorporating sidebars, bursts, maps, illustrations, and other images, the book's handsome design makes for easy, enjoyable navigation. Ages 8-12. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Featuring gorgeous, full-color photographs; primary sources; and fun nature facts, this biography of Jane Goodall will easily entice children. Goodall is presented as inspiring and intelligent as well as down-to-earth in her personality and methods. Silvey focuses on the scientist's relationship to the chimpanzees she studied, and also discusses the anthropologist's trajectory from curious young girl to respected scientist (black-and-white childhood photos and anecdotes add to the appeal). Sidebars provide additional material, such as brief profiles of her mentor, Louis Leakey, and her mother. The photographs of Goodall and her primate friends are beautiful, and the book is well designed and laid out with care. The writing is clear and concise, and learning about the subject's work in such an accessible manner will boost children's self-confidence, especially girls with an interest in science. VERDICT An ideal purchase for science or biography collections.-Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Growing up in England, Jane Goodall dreamed of living in Africa and observing animals. In her twenties, she moved there and worked with Louis Leakey, who enabled her to observe wild chimpanzees in what is now Tanzania's Gombe National Park. Silvey describes the day-to-day challenges of the work, as well as its personal rewards, and the impact of Goodall's groundbreaking research on scientists' perception of chimps. The narrative traces her career as an academic, a conservationist, and a voice for the humane treatment of chimps held in captivity. Well organized and clearly written, the text is illustrated with many excellent color photos, several family photos from Goodall's childhood, and a few useful maps. Besides bringing out this biography, National Geographic is cited several times as the publisher of Goodall's first articles and a financial supporter of her work. The book concludes with an engaging Gombe Family Scrapbook, featuring photos and paragraphs introducing a number of individual gorillas at Gombe. An inviting introduction to the life and work of Jane Goodall.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist
Horn Book Review
Jane Goodall has spent a lifetime dedicated to understanding and protecting chimpanzees. This accessible account of her life (with a foreword by Goodall herself) emphasizes the qualities that will likely resonate with young readers: her intelligence, sense of adventure, curiosity, and love of animals. Detailed coverage of her early years explores her nontraditional entry to scientific field-work and the attention from the National Geographic Society that made her famous, but without losing focus on her work ethic and innovative scientific methods. The second half of the book focuses on Goodalls efforts to bring attention to and reform the use of chimpanzees in research laboratories, and the technological advances in primate research that are currently in place. Silvey accompanies her main narrative with informative text boxes and vivid photographs that are integral to understanding the places, people, and animals in Goodalls life -- including the chimpanzees she spent years observing. Along with an index and source notes, copious additional resources are gathered in a Field Notes section at the back of the book, including a bibliography of Goodalls own writings, a timeline, a map of Gombe (in Tanzania where she worked), and a link to Roots and Shoots, the environmental advocacy group for children that Goodall founded. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Book Review
Jane Goodall, whose pioneering observations of chimpanzees in the wild changed scientific thinking about the differences between humans and apes, found a broader mission in conservation and education. Silvey surveys the life of "the most recognized living scientist in the Western world" in five chapters that dutifully cover high points but do little to convey Goodall's "wild life" of the subtitle. Moving from Goodall's early interest in animals to her subject's first years in Africa, the author gives examples of the difficulties Goodall faced in Gombe. "Celebrity Scientist" describes some of Goodall's other early activities and lists her most important observations about chimpanzee behavior. "Transformation" shows her career's new direction after 1986 and identifies three organizations she's founded: the Jane Goodall Institute, Roots and Shoots, and TACARE. In "Legacy," the author describes how our views of chimpanzees and methods of observation have changed. The book's lavish design does little to punch up the text. Numerous sidebars (some occupying a full page) interrupt the admiring narrative, which is not entirely chronological, and the many photographs don't always relate to nearby text. The appended, vinelike timeline is hard to follow. The text is frequently set on faint silhouettes of Gombe plants (a key appears opposite the author's introduction); the occasional use of a small, white type on an orange background also decreases legibility. Goodall provides a foreword; extensive backmatter includes maps, sources, and an index. A serviceable biography. (Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Author notes provided by Syndetics
ANITA SILVEY is the author of 100 Best Books for Children and 500 Great Books for Teens and has devoted more than 40 years promoting books that turn young people--and their families--into readers. To do this she has appeared frequently on NPR, The Today Show, 60 Minutes, and radio programs in the United States and Canada to talk about books for children and teenagers. She is the former publisher of children's books for Houghton Mifflin Co. and served as editor-in-chief of Horn Book magazine for 11 years. As Publisher's Weekly has said, "It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice than Anita Silvey." Anita writes the very popular Children's Book-a-Day Almanac that appears online. She also creates narrative nonfiction for children - The Plant Hunters, I'll Pass for Your Comrade, Henry Knox: Bookseller, Soldier, and Patriot, and an upcoming biography about singer-activist Pete Seeger.